Hinge assembly

ABSTRACT

The hinge assembly is provided with a projecting blade that is mounted on the pivotal post of the hinge assembly to abut the door mount of the hinge assembly. The blade is mounted by two shoulder screws that pass through a bracket secured within the post into rivet nuts mounted in the cover of the post. This arrangement rigidifies the mounting of the blade.

This invention relates to a hinge assembly for a cabinet. More particularly, this invention relates to a hinge assembly for a door of a refrigerator cabinet.

As is known, refrigerated cabinets have doors that are hingedly mounted to permit the doors to be swung from a closed position relative to the cabinet to either a pre-determined partially opened position or a fully opened position relative to the cabinet. Typically, the hinge assemblies have been provided with a door mount that is secured to the cabinet and a post that is secured to the door and that is pivotally mounted on the door mount. U.S. Pat No. 6,152,554 describes an adjustable hinge assembly whereby the hinge assembly may be adjusted in place when mounted on the door and cabinet.

In many instances, a refrigerated cabinet is mounted close to a wall with a door that opens toward the wall so that when the door is swung from the cabinet, there is a risk that the door will impact against the wall. Also, in some instances where refrigerated cabinets are mounted side-by-side with doors that open toward each other, there is a risk that the door of the cabinets can impact one another if both doors are opened at the same time. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to limit the opening of a door of a refrigerated cabinet.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a hinge assembly that prevents a door of a refrigerated cabinet from impacting against an adjacent wall or door.

It is another object of the invention to provide a hinge assembly with a built in means for limiting the pivoting of a post of the hinge assembly.

Briefly, the invention provides a hinge assembly that includes a door mount that is to be secured to a cabinet, a post that is to be secured to a door and that is pivotally mounted on the door mount and a blade that projects from the post to abut the door mount in order to limit movement of the post relative to the door mount.

The blade is secured to a side of the post such that when the post is pivoted from a closed position to an open position, the blade abuts the door mount to limit the opened position to one in which the post is rotated 90 degrees. The blade is sufficiently rigid so that on abutting the door mount, further pivoting motion of the post is precluded.

Alternatively, the back of the housing post may be formed with one or more integral ears. This would eliminate a need to separately mount a bracket with an ear on the housing back.

In one embodiment, the door mount has an upstanding wall and an outwardly projecting base in which the post is pivotally mounted for movement between the closed position and open position.

The post is constructed with a one-piece housing having an upstanding back that is secured to a door, a pivot pin at a lower end of the back for rotation within the base of the door mount and a cap that projects from an upper end of the back to define a cavity with the remainder of the housing. The post also has a U-shaped cover secured to the back between the cap and the pivot pin to enclose the cavity.

For purposes of mounting the blade, the post is provided with a bracket that is secured to the back of the post within the confines of the cavity covered over by the U-shaped cover. This bracket has at least one projecting ear with an aperture that is located within the cavity. In addition, a rivet nut is mounted on one side of the cover in alignment with the aperture in the bracket and a shoulder screw passes though the blade, the cover, the aperture and the bracket into the rivet screw in order to secure the blade to the cover. In this respect, it is preferred that a pair of shoulder screws be employed with corresponding rivet nuts in order to secure the blade to the cover of the post.

The mounting of the blade to the post serves to prevent bending of the cover should the blade impact against the door-mount by excessive force.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1A illustrates a perspective view of a hinge assembly constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 1B illustrates an exploded view of the hinge assembly of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of a cover of the post;

FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a housing of the post in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a partial-cross sectional view of the hinge assembly of FIG. 1A mounted to and between a door and a refrigerated cabinet in accordance with the invention; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a view similar to FIG. 4 with the door in a fully opened position relative to the cabinet in accordance with the invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the hinge assembly 10 is constructed of three basic components, namely, a door mount 11, a post 12 and a blade 13. As shown in FIG. 4, the door mount 11 is secured to a cabinet 14, such as a refrigerated cabinet, and the post 12 is secured to a door 15 to allow pivoting of the door 15 relative to the cabinet 14 in a conventional manner.

Referring to FIG. 1B, the door mount 11 is formed with an upstanding wall 16 and an outwardly projecting base 17, for example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,554. As illustrated, the upstanding wall 16, typically, has a flat, vertical side surface 18 and is secured to the cabinet 14 by screws (not shown) or by any other suitable means.

The door mount 11 is also provided with a cam member 19 that is separately mounted in the base 17 and that has a central bore 20 for purposes as described below. The cam member 19 is of conventional structure and need not be further described.

The post 12 includes a housing 21 and a cover 22.

Referring to FIG. 3, the housing 21 is made up of one-piece construction and includes an upstanding back 23, a pivot pin 24 at a lower end of the back 23 for rotation within the cam member 14 on the door mount 11 and a cap 25 that projects from an upper end of the back 23 to define a cavity with the remainder of the housing 21. The pivot pin 24 is not shown in FIG. 1B for purposes of simplicity.

The back 23 of the housing 21 is provided with a plurality of unthreaded elongated slots 26 (see FIG. 1A) for the passage of three screws 27 or bolts (not shown) for securing the post 12 to the door 15 (see FIG. 4) for the refrigerated cabinet 14. The screws 27 pass through the elongated slots 26 in unthreaded relation and are threaded into the door 15 (not shown). The shape of the slots 26 allows for adjustments to be made when mounting the housing 21 to the door 15.

Referring to FIG. 3, a bracket 28 is secured against the back 23 of the post 12, for example, by means of the screws 27 that pass through the elongated slots 26 into the door 15. The bracket 28 is secured against the housing back 23 at the same time that the housing back 23 is mounted to the door 15 and by the same screws 27. This bracket 28 includes a pair of upstanding ears 29, each of which has an aperture 30 for purposes as described below. As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the bracket 28 and ears 29 form a T-shaped cross-section.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 5, the cover 22 is of U-shaped cross-section defined in part by a pair of parallel side-walls 31 and is constructed to slide onto the post 12 and to abut against the cap 25 while the ends of the side-walls 31 slide along the upstanding back 23 of the post 12.

Referring to FIG. 1B, a pair of fasteners, such as, shoulder screws 32, are provided for securing the blade 13 to the post 12. As shown in FIG. 4, each shoulder screw 32 passes through an aperture 34 in the blade 13, an aperture 35 in the side-wall 31 of the cover 22 and an aperture 30 in an ear 29 of the bracket 27. Each shoulder screw 32 has a threaded tip 33 that is threaded into a mating fastener, such as a rivet nut 36, that is secured in the opposite wall 31 of the cover 22. Each shoulder screw 32 also has a head 37 that abuts against the outside of the blade 13.

The mounting of the blade 13 by means of the two shoulder screws 32 that pass through the bracket 27 in close fitting manner and the two rivet nuts 36 serves to transmit the forces imposed on the blade 13 to the housing back 23 when the blade 13 abuts the door mount 11 upon swinging to the open position. This, in turn, reduces the risk of the cover 22 becoming bent under such forces. That is to say, the impact forces imposed on the blade 13 are transmitted through the shoulder screws 32 into the bracket 27 and thence into the upstanding back 23 of the post 12. The screws 32 and bracket 27 thus serve as a means to rigidify the mounting of the blade on the cover 22 and to prevent buckling of the side walls 31 of the cover 22 under the impact forces imposed on the blade 13.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the hinge assembly 10 is secured to and between the door 15 and the refrigerated cabinet 14 by any suitable means, such as screws as described above.

When the door 15 is in the closed position relative to the cabinet 14, the blade 13 is parallel to the door 15 and perpendicular to a side-wall 38 of the refrigerated cabinet 14 as illustrated in FIG. 4. Should the refrigerated cabinet 14 be mounted closely adjacent to a wall 39, or other structure, the blade 13 projects toward that wall 39. In this respect, the projection of the blade 13 from the post 12 is approximately ½ inch.

When the door 15 is swung to the open position, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the blade 13 abuts against the side-surface 18 of the door mount 11. As illustrated, the blade 13 contacts the side-wall 18 over a common distance of about ¼ inch.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the hinge assembly 10 is in the fully-open position, the blade 13 is perpendicular to the face of the refrigerated cabinet 14 and parallel to the side wall 38. Abutment of the blade 13 against the door mount 11 prevents further pivoting of the door 15 and prevents the door 15 from slamming against the wall 38, or the door of an adjacent refrigerated cabinet that opens in an opposite hand direction (not shown).

The blade 13 may be made of any suitable material, thickness and shape to limit the pivoting of the post 12. Typically, the blade 13 would be made of steel and is of rectangular shape.

Alternatively, the cover 22 and blade 13 may be made as one piece so that the blade is an integral part of the cover. In this case, the shoulder screws 32 and bracket 27 may still be used as above or the cover may be rigidified or otherwise rigidly mounted on the housing 23 of the post 12 to prevent buckling.

The invention thus provides a hinge assembly that limits the amount of opening of a door of a refrigerated cabinet or any other type of cabinet.

The invention further provides a hinge assembly that has a built-in means for limiting the pivoting motion of the hinge assembly. 

1. A hinge assembly comprising a door mount for securement to a cabinet, said door mount having an upstanding wall and an outwardly projecting base, said wall having a vertical side surface; a post for securement to a door, said post being pivotally mounted on said base of said door mount for movement between a closed position and an open position; a blade secured to said post and projecting therefrom to abut said side surface of said upstanding wall in said open position of said post to limit movement of said post relative to said base of said door mount.
 2. A hinge assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said post includes a housing having an upstanding back, a pivot pin at a lower end of said back for rotation within said base of said door mount and a cap projecting from an upper end of said back to define a cavity and a U-shaped cover secured to said back to enclose said cavity.
 3. A hinge assembly as set forth in claim 2 further comprising a bracket secured to said back of said post within said cavity, said bracket having at least one aperture therein located within said cavity; a first fastener passing through said blade, an opposite side of said cover and said aperture of said bracket; and a mating fastener mounted on one side of said cover in alignment with said aperture of said bracket and secured to said first fastener to rigidify said cover.
 4. A hinge assembly as set forth in claim 2 further comprising a bracket secured against said back of said post within said cavity, said bracket having at least one aperture therein located within said cavity; at least one nut mounted on one side of said cover in alignment with said aperture of said bracket and at least one screw passing through said blade, an opposite side of said cover and said aperture of said bracket into said nut to rigidify said cover.
 5. A hinge assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein said bracket is removably mounted to said back of said post and includes at least one projecting ear having said aperture therein.
 6. A hinge assembly as set forth in claim 5 further comprising a plurality of screws threadably securing said bracket to said back of said post.
 7. A hinge assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said blade extends along the height of said cover of said post.
 8. A hinge assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said blade is made of metal and is of flat rectangular shape.
 9. In combination, a refrigerator cabinet having a side wall and a door; and a hinge assembly mounting said door onto said cabinet for pivoting between a closed position relative to said cabinet and an open position relative to said cabinet with said door parallel to said side wall of said cabinet, said hinge assembly including a door mount secured to said cabinet, a post secured to said door and pivotally mounted on said door mount, and a blade projecting from said post to abut said door mount in said open position to limit movement of said post relative to said door mount.
 10. The combination as set forth in claim 9 wherein said door mount has an upstanding wall secured to said cabinet and an outwardly projecting base, said wall having a vertical side surface for abutment of said blade thereagainst.
 11. The combination as set forth in claim 9 wherein said post includes a housing having an upstanding back, a pivot pin at a lower end of said back for rotation within said door mount and a cap projecting from an upper end of said back to define a cavity and a U-shaped cover secured to said back to enclose said cavity.
 12. The combination as set forth in claim 11 further comprising a bracket secured against said back of said post within said cavity, said bracket having at least one aperture therein located within said cavity; a nut mounted on one side of said cover in alignment with said aperture of said bracket and a screw passing through said blade, an opposite side of said cover and said aperture of said bracket into said nut to rigidify said cover.
 13. The combination as set forth in claim 11 wherein said blade extends along the height of said cover of said post.
 14. The combination as set forth in claim 9 wherein said blade is parallel to said side wall of said cabinet in said open position.
 15. The combination as set forth in claim 9 wherein said blade is made of metal and is of flat rectangular shape. 